


The Demon King of Fashion

by rynling



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Bickering Couple, Cultural Differences, F/M, Ocarina of Time AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 05:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8238433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rynling/pseuds/rynling
Summary: Zelda and Ganondorf have decided to stop fighting, and now they're living together in Hyrule Castle in an attempt to understand one another. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is an Ocarina of Time AU in which Zelda and Ganondorf are around the same age. Zelda, suspecting that Ganondorf was up to no good, summoned the hero to defeat him. To Zelda and Ganondorf's mutual dismay, Link turned out to be ten years old, and they ended up finding something in common in their shared appreciation of how adorable he is. 
> 
> Written as a prompt fill for the lovely [hcdragoncat on Tumblr](http://hcdragoncat.tumblr.com).

"You are _not_ wearing that to dinner," Zelda commanded, pinning Ganondorf with a sharp glare.

Ganondorf shrugged and turned to face one of the bookshelves in the receiving room of Zelda's chambers. "I don't see what the problem is," he muttered, picking up and putting down objects at random. It was an annoying habit of his, and Zelda knew it indicated that he understood exactly what the problem was. "I've worn this all day."

"That's precisely it." Zelda rolled her eyes at Ganondorf's back, frustrated by his stubbornness. "If you mean to find a place at this castle, you have to _earn_ it, and that means making an _attempt_ to respect our customs."

Ganondorf pulled a book off the shelf, paged through it, and set it down. "Your customs are stupid," he said.

Zelda's eye twitched. "We did not have you outfitted by the royal tailors so that you could wear the same set of robes every day."

"These suit me better."

"It's Gerudo clothing, Ganondorf. How many times do I have to tell you that it makes people nervous?"

He spun around and pointed a finger at her. "That isn't my problem, Zelda. The concession I'm making to your courtiers is that I don't strike them down where they stand for being judgmental assholes."

"Are you listening to yourself? They're just _people_ , Ganondorf. Some of them are ignorant and petty, but you can't make generalizations about my entire court."

"I don't hear you defending me against their generalizations."

"Change takes _time_. If you don't meet them halfway, we'll never get anywhere."

"For Din's sake, Zelda. You're just as bad as they are. Nothing ever changes in this country. Blame the Gerudo, why don't you?"

Zelda hissed an intake of breath. This was a sensitive topic for her, and he knew it. "If you don't want to _try_ to act like a sensible adult," she spat, "you can go home to your mothers."

"Maybe I will, have you considered that?" he volleyed back at her. "My moms never liked you anyway."

"Fine!" Zelda threw her hands up. "You can rot in the desert, for all I care. Good luck finding your precious Triforce there."

Ganondorf took a step toward her. "Be careful what you wish for, Princess. I can take the Triforce any time I want. Don't think I won't do it."

"If you make even the tiniest move to endanger Hyrule, I will send the hero to cut, you, _down_."

"Oh yeah?" Ganondorf took another few steps in her direction. "I'll have you know that your hero is currently in time-out in his room. Someone apparently thought it was a good idea to give the kid a bow, and the little brat shot me."

"I'm sure it's nothing less than you deserve," Zelda said, crossing her arms in front of her. She had given Link a stern lecture on weapons safety, and he seemed to have understood her perfectly. Ganondorf must have done something to provoke the boy, who was, despite everything, still only a child.

"Sweet Nayru, you would think that, wouldn't you?"

Ganondorf loomed over her, and Zelda looked away from him. She suspected he was attempting to use his size to intimidate her, but he should know by now that this facile tactic wouldn't work.

"It's not my fault you tried to take over my kingdom. I'm not interested in your justifications."

"How can you blame me for wanting what's right in front of me? Especially when everyone tells me it's something I can't have?" Ganondorf reached out and gently twisted Zelda's sidelock around his finger. He could never keep his hands still – he was always restless, always moving. It was one of the things she'd come to love about him.

"If you want Hyrule," she murmured, tilting her head into his palm, "then you have to take everything that goes along with it, including the customs you don't like. We can change things, but it won't happen overnight."

Ganondorf grinned as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. "A lot of things can happen overnight."

Zelda laughed and shook her head. "You are incorrigible."

"I'm actually pretty tame, compared to my sisters. That's why I was allowed to serve as an ambassador, and you can't say I didn't play the part. Did you see how I was dressed when I first came to Hyrule? After months of chafing I swore I would never wear anything that tight again."

"I... actually kind of liked the way you dressed," Zelda said, placing her hand over his and lowering it to the stiffly embroidered fabric covering her shoulder. "I wish I could pull off something like that myself."

"Listen, I have an idea." Ganondorf bent his knees so that his face was level with hers. "Why don't you wear Gerudo clothing too? You're the princess, and people expect you to be the best-dressed person in the room. Nabooru and I will get those royal tailors of yours to mock something up, and then everyone will be so busy looking at you that my clothes will be the furthest thing from their minds."

"Hmmm," Zelda hummed as she pretended to consider the idea. She had no intention of making Ganondorf think she would act as he said without debate, but the truth was that she had already considered doing exactly what he suggested. She had to be careful, of course. If her court came to believe that the Gerudo emissary was exerting an undue influence over her, there would be repercussions. She had been at pains to keep the relationship between them secret until she was certain it would be accepted, if not by everyone then at least by the majority. She had been laying the groundwork carefully, gradually inserting the Gerudo ambassador into the circles of nobles, politicians, and bureaucrats who lived and worked in her castle. It was tiring to maintain a constant series of small deceptions, and at times she dearly wished Ganondorf were more cooperative and less abrasive. She was committed to the greater good of her kingdom, however, and it wasn't as if everything about the man in front of her was entirely unpleasant.

"I'll think about it," she finally responded. "Before long you'll be recommending that we add Gerudo spices to our food as well."

"You Hylians could use some spice," he said, his breath tickling her skin.

Zelda smirked. "Just kiss me already."

"Of course. I wouldn't want us to be late for dinner."

He smiled and pressed his lips against hers, and Zelda reflected that it would be worth it, all of the fighting and frustration and misunderstandings, if one day she could stand before the people of Hyrule with Ganondorf as an equal at her side.


End file.
